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Ahmed has perfect day; Dogs rout Javelinas

Ahmed has perfect day; Dogs rout Javelinas

2012 MLB.com Top Prospects: Nick Ahmed is the kind of player whose tools might not jump out right away, but the way he plays grows on you

By Sam Dykstra
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Special to MLB.com |

Nick Ahmed has been on some talented rosters before.

In college, he played with Top 100 prospects George Springer and Matt Barnes to form arguably the best team in University of Connecticut history. This season, he won the Carolina League's Mills Cup with the Class A Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats.

But the 22-year-old shortstop has never been on a roster quite as loaded as the Arizona Fall League's Phoenix Desert Dogs. If Friday was any indication, he's fitting in quite well.

Ahmed went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and Max Stassi also drove in four runs as Phoenix as Phoenix built a quick eight-run lead and crushed the Peoria Javelinas, 13-3.

The Braves' No. 10 prospect featured prominently in the Desert Dogs' big first inning. Batting second, he doubled in leadoff hitter Josh Prince (Brewers) with the game's first run and later plated two more runs with a bases-loaded single.

Phoenix sent 13 batters to the plate in the first, producing eight hits and taking advantage of a hit batter and catcher's interference.

"It was a lot of fun," Ahmed said. "One of our hitting coaches actually came up to the batting cage before the game and made the comment, 'Why don't we put up 10 or 12 today?' It's pretty cool that we beat that."

The Massachusetts native continued his big afternoon with a sacrifice fly in the third, then singled again in the fifth and walked and scored in the seventh.

After picking up two hits on Wednesday, Ahmed is 5-for-9 in his AFL debut. He batted .269 with a .337 on-base percentage and .391 slugging percentage during the season with Lynchburg, where he led the league with 40 steals and 84 runs scored in 130 games.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Ahmed said there's not much he's looking to improve during his stay in Arizona.

"I'm just trying to be me," he said. "Even if I'm only getting to play two or three times a week, I just want to have some fun with it. Mostly, I just want to get in a good position to hit and let the results come from there."

He shouldn't have much of a problem doing just that from the top of the Desert Dogs' lineup, where he has the likes of Grant Green -- MLB.com's No. 98 prospect -- and Hunter Morris -- the Brewers' No. 7 prospect -- to protect him.

"It's awesome being with these guys," Ahmed said. "Everybody here knows what they're doing and how to hit the ball. You can learn a lot by just walking around here and talking to the guys. I'm excited to see what's coming."

Stassi (Athletics) finished 2-for-5 with a homer, while batterymate Jimmy Nelson (1-0) -- Milwaukee's No. 9 prospect -- gave up a run on three hits over four innings to secure the win.

Minor League stolen base champion Billy Hamilton was 3-for-5 at the top of the Javelinas' batting order in his Fall League debut. Moving from shortstop to the outfield, he stole a base after a first-inning single but was promptly picked off second.

Phillies right-hander Kyle Simon (0-1) started for Peoria and was charged with eight runs -- seven earned -- on seven hits while retiring one batter.

Sam Dykstra is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.